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  “I swear,” He added as he stepped up and I got caught up in his eyes again.

  “You are a dick.”

  “I can be,” he said as he grinned.

  I turned and walked away, he stood there until I stopped and called out to him.

  “Come on,” he grinned and followed me. I stopped and turned to him

  “Why?”

  He stopped and stared me down. “Why, what?”

  “I mean, you didn’t even try to kiss me?”

  He grinned and shifted from one foot to the other. “Not yet,” he said to me and I turned as my heartbeat fluttered in my chest.

  Chapter Three

  Two Rooms

  I raised my hand to knock on the door and Cody reached past me and opened it up, as if he lived here. I have no idea why I was going to knock, I am completely off of my game and feeling foreign, even to myself. I mean, here I am bringing a man home, who I barely know, to try to avoid all the same old shit. I could hear my mom’s voice in the other room and it only took about fifteen seconds for the sisters to descend on us like vultures. Violet came in first and was grinning like she could not be any happier to see anyone. It kind of disturbed me, followed by Poppy, Daisy and Rose. I set my suitcase down as they all stared at me and then the attention went straight to Cody, of course. Evidently he was good for diverting their attention from me. I could at least be grateful for that.

  “Well, look at you,” Daisy said as Rose smiled. Violet and Poppy stood by them and the four of them reminded me of how they would be when I was younger. It was always a wall of them versus me.

  “Hi,” I said as I waved a hand and they all fawned over him until mom stepped into the room. The chatter suddenly stopped and they parted as she stepped through them. She walked up to me and then gave me a big hug, which was unlike her. I looked towards my sisters and they looked as if it was something I should get used too. She held onto my arms as she stepped back and looked me over.

  “You need to eat and what have you done to your hair?”

  “I do and I cut it off.”

  “Mmm,” she said as she looked me over.

  “I said the same thing,” Cody added as my mom’s eyes went to him. She let me go and it was on. I mean, he asked for it. Mom walked up to him and looked him over. Her gaze steady on him. She would always be the same. Strong and intimidating. There wasn’t a resident in this town who did not know her or try to avoid her wrath. She wasn’t mean, but you just have to know her and how she is. To outsiders, she would appear cold, but the truth was she was not. Just appeared that way.

  “So you are dating Jasmine, Cody Baker,” she said, it was not even a question, just a statement, like she was known for. I grinned, I had too. If any payback was coming to Cody for messing with me it would be paid in full now.

  He nodded and she crossed her arms on her chest, I am sure it reminding him of me. If one thing was true, I got my temper from her and my attitude. My desire for travel came from my dad.

  “How long?”

  “I’m sorry?” Cody asked her.

  “How long have you been dating Jasmine?”

  “Six months,” he said and she uncrossed her arms.

  She held up her hand and two fingers stood up straight in his face. “Two rooms.”

  He looked at me and I smiled.

  “Okay,” he said and she started to walk away.

  “No sneaking in later, either. I am a light sleeper,” she added as she continued to disappear around the corner and back towards the kitchen.

  Violet laughed, as well as my other sisters, and I picked my suitcase back up.

  “Come on,” I said to him as I started for the stairs and he followed me.

  Violet held up two fingers and I rolled my eyes. I swear it doesn’t matter how old you get, your siblings are always childish when the opportunity arises, like I would sleep with him, in this house, even if we were actually dating. My mom is here. I wouldn’t dream of it.

  I stood in my old room and Cody stepped up behind me as I scanned it. I could not believe that my old Duran Duran posters were still up. Yes, I went through a weird 80’s phase, it happens. In fact, by looking through my closet you may suspect that I never outgrew it. I smiled as he walked in and looked around.

  “If I use hairspray in my hair and a little lip gloss do you think I could get lucky tonight?”

  I laughed at him. “No, not unless you wear the pirate boots, that is the deal maker right there…the boots.”

  He smiled. “I need to go shopping.”

  I stared at him as he sat down on my old bed and bounced on the edge of it.

  “I need you to get off of my bed, Cody.”

  He stood up and stared down at it.

  He tapped it. “It is a little small anyway.”

  I grinned and walked to my window, looking out at the two treehouses and sighed. I touched the glass and he looked past me and saw them.

  “I know why you are here, Jazz.”

  I turned to him and the words stung a little bit. I really did not need to be reminded.

  “How?”

  “You told me when you were drunk. I mean, as you cried on my shoulder.”

  “I did not.”

  “You did, why is everything a situation where I have to convince you?”

  I hesitated and then walked to my door. “Let me show you to your room.”

  He stared at me and decided to give up, I guess my facial expression probably told him it was best anyway. I had no need to talk to him about my dad. I was having a hard enough time accepting it myself. I walked out and he followed me until we reached the end of the hallway. I opened up the door and he looked in at all of the baby dolls on the shelves. He shook his head ‘no’ and I grinned.

  “You get the creepy craft room.”

  “Great,” he muttered as he stepped in and looked around. He then looked back at me and I suddenly felt bad for him.

  I cleared my throat as I stared at the dolls. “This is the only spare room.”

  “I can handle it, I mean, come on.” He walked to one of the dolls and picked it up as its eyes blinked and he dropped it. I laughed under my breath as he picked it back up and placed it on the shelf, adjusting its frilly dress.

  “Just call out for an old priest and a young one if any of them start spitting pea soup at midnight.”

  He stared at me, wide eyed and still creeped out, “What about midnight?”

  I closed the door and stood there for a second. I heard him knock something over and I shook my head as I walked back to my room. I closed the door behind me. I sighed and rubbed my arms as I returned to the window and stared out at the treehouse.

  “Two rooms,” I whispered as I shook my head and smiled.

  ***

  I sat alone in the treehouse and stared at the maps on the walls. I had marked “safe” routes if we needed to move quickly as the zombies invaded. I smiled as I reached up and touched one of the maps and then turned as I heard Cody’s voice behind me. His head was popped up in the opening on the treehouse floor.

  “Safe house?” he asked me and I nodded, I had left him to deal with my mom and sisters for a couple of hours and I had to assume he was vetted to a certain degree.

  He climbed in and sat down on the floor, like children do. His legs crossed and looking around the treehouse in wonder. The sun was setting and the little light it spared us showed through the cracks, one beam of sunlight was lighting up his face and his eyes. I had to admit that his eyes were my favorite thing about him. I mean, he was attractive, but my dad always mentioned eyes with people, he said they truly were the windows to the soul. I could see that Cody was pure in that way.

  “Your mom sent me to get you for supper.”

  I looked around the room. “I guess I should go then, I mean, if I don’t, she will try to climb up here and I don’t need that.”

  “Did she do that when you were little?”

  “Just once,” I said and he tilted his head as I sighed
and then looked at him. “My parents didn’t always get along. In fact, as I grew older, the fighting was all I could say I knew about either one of them…it wasn’t like that when I was little. It started when I was around thirteen and continued on until I was sixteen.”

  I stopped talking as memories of them flooded my mind.

  “Then what happened?” he asked me.

  I blinked and looked back into his eyes. “It stopped.”

  Cody had a look of confusion on his face. I sighed and looked down at my hands and then back up at him. “I ran away.”

  “Oh.”

  I nodded to him. “Yeah, dick move on my part, but it brought them together and after that night it all changed. I mean, I ran to the train station and I had every intention of leaving and never coming back, I didn’t care. I mean, teenagers are pains in the ass anyway, I know that now, at the time I thought I was in the right. So I stood there and then suddenly the train pulled away and I found myself still here. I snuck back home and climbed up here. It was sometime later on that night that my mom climbed up here, which she never ever did, and she found me. She didn’t wake me up, she curled up next to me and kept me warm. I woke up the next day with her right here. It was the one time I felt really close to her and after that night, they never fought again.”

  I looked up at Cody who was staring at me. His eyes a bit glossy and I tilted my head.

  He spoke as if he understood. “She loves you very much. Parents are supposed to. That is their job.”

  I nodded to him.

  “Let’s go eat,” he said as I smiled and followed him out and down the ladder.

  ****

  We all sat around the large table that I had so many memories of. This was where we all discussed boyfriends, prom, school, gossip and so on. It was the one place we all sat as equals and shared what we wanted to say. I looked up at my mom, who took a bite of her potatoes. She was always careful to take small bites, to chew with her mouth closed and appear to have impeccable manners. I still remember laughing at the table with my dad and spitting out food. She didn’t laugh, but he did. I look back on these things now and I know she only had the best intention in mind for me. She may be harsh to some, but her manners always stayed intact in social situations. I turned to see Poppy laughing as Violet told her about her soon-to-be-ex and Rose was on her cellphone explaining why the sitter had to use the lactose free milk. Mom then stood up and spoke as everyone stopped talking altogether.

  “Your dad and I had been divorced for ten years.”

  She sat back down and I leaned back in my chair, my mouth opened ever so slightly, as I had nothing to say. Rose dropped her phone and then picked it back up.

  “I don’t give a shit, I will call you later,” she pressed the button and set it down. Poppy shook her head and Violet leaned forward.

  “What?” Violet asked.

  Mom took another bite as if nothing had happened at all.

  “Mama?” Rose said as Mom then looked at her.

  “It is true. We divorced and he stayed here so no one would be upset. Our marriage was over years before that, but we decided to do the right thing, for you girls and keep it a secret.”

  “Holy shit,” I said as Violet held her hand up to me and narrowed her eyes.

  “You know Mama does not like cursing.”

  “Oh fuck it, Violet, why hold back now?” Mom said as I laughed under my breath and shook my head.

  “This has to be a joke,” I muttered.

  “No, Jasmine, it is not. I just thought that it was time, seeing that he is gone now. I mean, really gone,” she said and then she took another bite of her food.

  Poppy stood up and started to cry, she was always the emotional one. She stepped back and ran up the stairs to her old room. I sat there as Cody was completely silent. I felt so bad for him. I mean, here he was doing me a weird favor and now this bullshit.

  “I cannot believe this,” I said as I stared at her. She set her fork down and looked at me.

  “You know we were not happy Jasmine. Every one of you knew it, well minus you, of course, Cody.” He nodded to her and took a drink from his glass. “We fought for years, to the point of running you away from us,” she looked at me and I shook my head.

  “Do not lay this on me, Mom.”

  “I am only telling you that after you ran away we decided to do it, for all of our sakes, and that is when I started sleeping with Marty.”

  “Marty the meat man?” Rose asked her as she shook her head and Mom looked at her.

  “Butcher, not meat man. You make it sound barbaric.”

  I rubbed my forehead as if I may be having a breakdown as Cody continued to drink until it was gone. He set it down and said nothing.

  “So let me get this right, I ran away, then you two ended your marriage, Dad stayed here and you started boning Marty?” I said as my voice went up an octave.

  Cody smiled as he looked down into his lap as Rose, Daisy and Violet looked at me.

  “Really, Jazz? Boning, for Christ's sake,” Rose said and I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, you can say meat man, but I can’t say boning?”

  “I was not being disrespectful,” she said as she leaned back and I laughed.

  “He was fucking that girl at the post office….Betty, the one with the large breasts,” Mom said.

  “I will not, I can’t listen to this stuff.” Daisy finally said as she stood up. Mom looked up at her and shook her head.

  “We are all adults here, Daisy.”

  “Really, are we?” she asked as she stormed off. I sat there feeling dizzy from the insanity of it all.

  “That is two f-bombs from you, Mom, in less than 10 minutes. I may pass out,” I said as Cody stood up.

  “Wine?” he asked.

  Everyone ignored him as he walked towards the kitchen.

  “This is complete bullshit, Mom, I mean, ten years?” Violet said and Mom looked at her.

  “You are getting a divorce Violet, do not try to be condescending to me.”

  “Nice,” Violet said as she stood up and stormed off leaving me and Rose staring at each other.

  “I can’t, I mean, really Mom?” Rose said as she stood up and I watched her go. Cody stepped back into the room as it was just me and Mom now. He held the bottle up and Mom held her glass out to the side. I lifted mine too, it was time for a drink, hell, it was time for the whole damn bottle.

  Chapter Four

  Good Kisser

  I laid on my bed. My feet up behind me, laying on my stomach as I had so many times before when I lived at home. I had my dad’s old picture in front of me and I placed my fingers to the glass and felt it all cold to the touch. I jumped slightly as a light knock came to my door. I slid from the bed and walked to my door, opening it up to see Cody standing in the hallway. He smiled at me and waved his toothbrush at me.

  “I need toothpaste.”

  “Oh,” I said as I left my door open and walked back to my suitcase. It lay open on the floor. I did not even bother to take anything out of it. Maybe that was my way of making this go faster. I rummaged through my things until I found my toothpaste and pulled it out. I stood up and he was in my room. I held it up and smiled at him.

  “Here.”

  He stepped up and took it from me, but he hesitated and then decided to speak. I should have known it was really not about the toothpaste with him.

  “That was some heavy stuff.”

  I rubbed my neck and then nodded as I crossed my arms on my chest. He grinned at me.

  “You do realize you do that when you don’t want to talk about something.”

  I relaxed and let my arms rest at my sides, all awkward.

  “I don’t…I mean, maybe I do. I don’t know. What is it with you analyzing people?”

  He stood there and tapped the toothpaste on the side of his leg.

  “I guess it is just a genetic thing.”

  I sat down on my bed and stared at him. “Genetic?”

  “My
mom was a psychiatrist.”

  I shook my head. “Great, I mean no disrespect to her, but this is the house that crazy built. You will have plenty of fun here.”

  He stared at me and lowered the toothbrush and paste in his hands. He walked to my bed and sat down next to me as I tried to ignore him, but he smelled amazing and I was not in my right mind.

  “You know, children of divorce have a hard time connecting with people and even though they never told you, or any of your sisters, you still felt the change and it effected you, all of you.”

  I narrowed my eyes and turned on the bed as I stared at him.

  “Listen, Cody. I get that you want to help me, I do, but I just can’t do this, this thing you are trying to do with me. I know it sounds shitty and I wish that I…”

  His lips pressed against my own, shutting me up as he needed to. My eyes closed and all I could think about was how soft his lips were. How good he smelled and how nice it was to feel someone this close to me. Even someone that I did not really know. He lifted his hand and touched my face. His fingertips gently brushing against my skin. I stopped breathing as his tongue slid inside of my mouth and, for a moment, I was consumed with only thoughts of him. His eyes, his lips…how he smelled and his touch. We started to lean back and he moaned, deep in the back of his throat as I reached out and slid my hands under his shirt. His skin warm, his muscles tight and inviting me in. He suddenly stopped and leaned back from me as I opened my eyes and stared at him. He stood up and shook his head.

  “Oh my God. You know what? I am sorry, that was crazy, I had no right to do that and I just…I gotta go brush my teeth and stuff, I can’t…I am so sorry, Jasmine.”

  I was half out of breath and stood up, swaying on my feet a little bit. His kiss had made me light headed. “Cody.”

  He hurried out as I stood there by my bed and slowly reached up with one hand to my lips. My fingers gently touching where he had been. The traces that he left behind on me haunting me well into the night.

  ***

  I sat at the table with a blank look on my face. Mom had insisted on breakfast for everyone and I tried to pull my “coffee only” routine, but she ignored me. Not that I was surprised at all by it. I glanced up and saw Cody sitting there picking at his plate and I leaned up and grabbed my fork. Mom glanced at him and then to me.